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The island nation has been hit hard by Super Typhoon Fung-wong, resulting in at least two people dead and forced the evacuation of more than 1.4 million individuals.

Authorities reported that the massive storm triggered widespread flash flooding, storm surges, landslides, and fierce gale-force winds, leading to the evacuation of millions of people across the country.

Extensive Damage and Emergency Operations

In Pandan, Catanduanes, one of the worst-hit regions, emergency crews documented floodwaters reaching rooftop levels and residences washed out by strong flows.

Our team saved fourteen people who were trapped on the roof surrounded by water in a low-lying neighbourhood,” an emergency official explained. “A father frantically contacted us, saying his home’s roof was about to be ripped off due to the storm. We rescued him along with four family members.”

By Monday, authorities confirmed two fatalities: one from drowning in Catanduanes and a second individual who died after her home gave way in eastern Samar.

Typhoon Strength and Projected Path

The intense storm weakened to a severe tropical storm early Monday while moving over the Philippines’ largest island, where the capital is located.

According to the state weather service, its maximum winds dropped from 115 mph to 102 mph, but gusts were still reaching more than 275 km/h.

The cyclone is expected to continue weakening while heading in the direction of Taiwan.

Response and Recovery

The national disaster response service stated efforts were ongoing to assess damage on buildings and roads.

Roughly thousands of shelters were activated to temporarily house 92,000 families.

Previous Storms and Environmental Factors

Fung-wong struck just days after Typhoon Kalmaegi, which killed hundreds of lives with another 135 missing before moving on toward Vietnam, where it killed five.

Search operations for those still missing were halted recently due to safety concerns to emergency personnel.

The climate crisis is causing cyclones more intense and common. This typhoon marks the 21st typhoon to impact the nation this year.

Researchers have found that the frequency of intense cyclones hitting the Philippines has risen doubled over the last two decades.

International estimates suggest that intense storms cause an average of US$3.5 million in damage for the Philippines every year.

The Philippine president issued a state of emergency on Thursday because of the severe damage caused by Kalmaegi and the expected damage from Fung-wong.